I'm a Coward!

I've just realised I'm a coward. For around 18 months or so I've been having fun on EHarl - entering the writing competitions with some great feedback. Of course, this all helps to bolster one's confidence and does get the writing juices flowing. So why is it, when it actually comes down to it, I've never actually submitted to a publisher? Now you could put it down to the fact that maybe I've been trying to make sure that my writing is falling into the genre that my voice best suits - I could go for that! Truth is though, when it comes down to it, I'm scared - scared of that big, bad, 'R'!! Now I'm wondering if I can ever get past the fear long enough to take the first step!